Molecule-based Materials with Technologically Relevant Properties

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Throughout history, every major technological advancement has been a direct result of the discovery and development of a new material. The Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Information Age (arguably the Silicon Age) are all familiar examples of this link between technology and materials. With this in mind, the primary goal of my research is the creation of new materials that have unprecedented properties.    My research program targets materials in which the properties are related to the molecular and supramolecular structure (i.e., how the molecules interact with one another). There are several advantages to (supra)molecular designs (as opposed to ceramics or polymers, etc.). A molecule is a precisely defined unit with an exact structure, thus a molecule-based material is reproducible and a clear property-structure relationship enables rational, iterative improvements. Molecular designs take advantage of known synthetic chemistry, and supramolecular structures can be controlled via crystal engineering.    One thrust of my research program focusses on designing materials that exhibit novel, enhanced, or new combinations of electronic properties (magnetism, ferroelectric effects, qubit functionality, interaction with light). Target species are thermally stable and soluble, and therefore amenable to low-cost, low-energy processability (e.g., surface deposition), which is especially important for practical device design. Proposed targets will exhibit magnetic and ferroelectric memory (i.e., store information about environment/history). Advances in this area will impact digital electronics (e.g., RFID systems) with applications such as safety switches and sensors. Manipulation of properties (i.e., read/write) will be possible with applied fields (magnetic, electric) and with light (photomagnetic). We will expand our research on quantum computing functionality to develop highly soluble species that are amenable to spatial manipulation on surfaces, thus overcoming current obstacles in developing inexpensive quantum computing devices (e.g., decoherence and addressability of an array of unique qubits). Achievements in this area will benefit the advancement of quantum computing technology, a field in which Canada excels, with low-cost, low-energy designs.    A parallel thrust in my research program explores the mechanical properties of our materials. We will develop new plastic crystals that can be bent or twisted. Mechanical flexibility, paired with electronic functionality, is advantageous for robust device design. Moreover, it is possible to design microcrystalline actuators that can do work, controlled by an applied field or by light. Achievements in this area overcome a major obstacle in the miniaturization of machines, namely how to power the machine. This research is necessary for the realization of microbots, capable of undertaking tasks too small or too dangerous for humans (e.g., swarm robotics to explore microscopic or hostile environments).